Media reports suggested Monday Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) management has asked dozens of employees to return to work this Wednesday in order to resume production at the company’s Fremont, California car plant.
The call for at least some employees to come back to work full shifts occurred even though local health orders require Tesla to adhere to "minimum basic operations" at that plant until end-of-day May 3. Bloomberg previously reported on the internal messages.
In Fremont, health orders have not been relaxed in any way yet, according to an official with Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. State and local authorities are expected to update residents and businesses by May 3 as to whether the orders will be extended, relaxed or entirely lifted, he said.
Under those orders, Tesla’s Fremont factory was supposed to suspend vehicle production on March 19.
But the company resisted, and kept producing cars there for another five days while its legal and policy teams argued with local authorities that they should be categorized as an "essential business." If deemed essential, the plant could have continued to operate with a few COVID-19 protocols in place to protect workers.
Before it suspended vehicle production, Elon Musk’s electric car company began taking the temperature of workers entering its Fremont factory, and distributing face masks to some.
Since then, Tesla has asked many employees to work from home, furloughed others, and cut employees’ salaries, while stopping all contractors’ assignments
TSLA shares hiked $25.21, or 3.5%, to $750.30
Tech Insider
